If you count yourself among the gazillions of die-hard Netflix addicts out there, you're probably pretty obsessed with Orange Is the New Black (who isn't?). If that's the case, you'll be psyched about the release of this new comedy short, "How We Do It," starring Adrienne C. Moore, a.k.a. Black Cindy.
The film, which runs just under five minutes, mixes humor and sensitivity to showcase Moore as a young working mom named Monica, trudging through life's daily struggles. From watching her superhero costume-bedecked kid try to flush all of her bills down the toilet to fielding calls from babysitters complaining about not getting paid that week, the clip addresses the charged issues surrounding how to financially balance being a parent.
When a fellow mom asks Monica "how she does it" and says she's "like a hero," Monica replies, "I'm not a hero. And, dammit, I shouldn't have to be." Of course, she's right — why should it be so hard for working parents to make it work? It shouldn't, and mastering that difficult work-life balance is an issue that's near and dear to Moore's heart.
Though Moore herself doesn't have kids, she struggled with making ends meet before she found success as an actress, and helping working folks achieve both economic security and family time is something she cares about. In an interview on MSNBC, Moore explained: "[The film] speaks to women and families...that are struggling and need help with affordable childcare, paid sick leave...These are causes that I definitely want to back. We're all trying to make it work and...have fulfilled lives."
Make It Work, the group that sponsored the project, advocates on behalf of working Americans, saying it "[shares] the belief that hardworking [people] shouldn't have to choose between being there for family and earning a living."
Moore is just one of a growing number of celebrities who are speaking out about such issues. At last Sunday's Oscars, Patricia Arquette gave a controversial rallying cry for equal pay (which Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez enthusiastically cheered); Ashley Judd has long supported feminist causes; and actresses like Charlize Theron are demanding to get compensated equally to their male counterparts. (And, then there's Beyonce.)
Hopefully Moore's film will help advance the dialogue about the work-life challenges of everyday Americans — we'll certainly be watching to see what "Black Cindy" and the Make It Work campaign do next.
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